Wolverine
by IcabellaMarie
Summary: Bella meets Edward Cullen and is curious about his strange actions. After being reunited with Jacob Black, he plans to take her to someplace to meet someone he feels that Bella should know.
1. Chapter 1

1. I've Just Met Two People Who Are Definitely Creepy

I starred out the window, as I left Phoenix. The window was cracked open, and the warm breeze blew my hair around my face. I was wearing a bright orange tank top, the one Phil- my mother's husband, otherwise known as my step dad- had bought me as a going away gift. I wasn't all that into orange tank tops, but Renee, my lovely mother, said it was a good farewell gesture and that Phil would be proud to see me wearing it. A thin jacket was slung over my legs, and that was as good as I was going to get to warm clothes. In the Olympic Peninsula, there is a miniscule town named Forks. In the northwest Washington State, Forks is found under a cover of dark, gray clouds, rarely to allow the sun to break through. It rains more, here, than any other place in the whole United States- and I come to think that it rains just as many much drops of water as the amount of sprinkles a little girl wants on her birthday cupcake.

It was from this dark, gloomy, and insignificant town that I was born, and lived until I was only a few months old. Renee seemed to have scurried out, with barely a loving goodbye to Charlie. And even though I was sent to spend a torturous month with my dad every summer, I never got used to the rain or the cold. I never wanted to move to Forks, but apparently now I "wanted" to go to Forks, now I "wanted" to get away.

When Phil finally pulled up in front of the airport, my mother had shot out of the car, and pulled me out with her. She showered me in kisses, and hugged me tightly. "Have fun while you're there," she said to me, tears bubbling over her eyes as she hugged me tightly once more, "Tell Charlie I say hi, and make sure you make lots of friends. Oh! And call me too!"

I smiled. I loved my over protective mom, and I believed that Charlie would be a good change for me. Or at least, I forced myself to believe that. "I will Mom... don't beat yourself up about it. I love you..."

She kissed my cheek and let go of me and pulled Phil over who was, so secretly sobbing behind the car, seeing his own stepdaughter leave. I smiled, and hugged him to. "Bye Phil. Good luck at training." I got up on my tiptoes and pulled his ear to my mouth. "And make sure you take care of Renee, if you don't, I'll bite your arm off, which intentionally means you won't be able to play baseball. More than likely, for the rest of your life."

I could see his face, it was covered with fear, but he knew my sarcasm. I let him go, and grabbed my bags. I entered into the airport, and my loving mother, and her husband were gone. I was off on my own, at least until I would arrive in Port Angeles four hours later. And anyone would be able to guess, that I dreaded the morning flight to Washington, more than anything in the world.

"So..." Charlie started, his arms wrapped around me in a strange, yet strong hug. "You look just like you did 3 years ago." He picked up my luggage, and began to walk with me, our arms linked together.

I raised an eyebrow, and started to walk with him. "I don't... know what to say. Thanks though… compliment or not. So anyway, it's great to see you... Dad." I put on a fake smile, and let my face glow like an angel towards him.

He smiled, "It's great to see you too Bells. How is Renee?" Charlie paused, and then added, "And Phil?"

I blinked, stunned that he would ask about his ex-wife and the new guy. "Fine, I guess. Traveling a lot."

After taking my small amount of luggage to the trunk, he opened the car door for me. I sat down, and buckled my seat belt. He started the engine, and tightened his hold the steering wheel. He sped out of the airport, eager to get us to lunch. We didn't talk at all on the way to Forks. That was one of the things I liked about Charlie, one of the many few things. He didn't ask many questions, and he didn't want or seem to need to know the essential, "The Need To Knows."

He pulled into a diner, which looked completely unfamiliar as far as I was concerned. I zipped up my jacket and got out. "This place new?" I asked him, trying to start a relatively kind and father-daughter type of conversation.

"No." He started, opening the door for me, "This place has been around since you were little. Guess you don't remember those things. You haven't been here since you were 10."

We both sat down, and opened up our menus. The waitress brought us our drinks, and once she walked away I whispered, so softly I was sure he couldn't here me, "Guess not."

I had a sandwich, and took one bite and decided that I wasn't hungry at all. It tasted good, and I willfully ate the whole thing, trying not to disrespect the restaurant. My dad ate a pot roast, with baked potatoes and green beans. He ate like a horse, yet he kept the weight off. I started to worry what he'd eat at home. Not that it mattered. He ate slowly, and I wished that he would eat faster. I, and excused myself for a moment, and went outside. The sun was high in the air, and I was glad to see that it wasn't raining. In my whole life, while being at Forks, never did I see the day when it was sunny. Nor, do I care to remember. I sat down on a parking lot block, and watched as two handsome people, a man and perhaps his son, walk out of the Clinic. I shook my head. Boys... never got to far in life with them. Jacob Black was the only boy in my life that had ever stuck around. We emailed each other, after I visited when I was 10. We were close, even when we were babies. Apparently, we'd drink out of each other's bottles. And I knew that must've made our parents mad.

The older man looked over at me, and smiled. Just then, Charlie- the Chief of Police, otherwise known as my dad- walked out, and waved at him. He had blonde hair, and the most perfect nose. He looked 28, though I'm sure he was much older. However, when I shifted my eyes to the other guy, he was beautiful. Gorgeous. His hair was tousled, and bronze. His eyes were deep and golden; his skin was pale, though he wore all black. His eyes bore into mine, and my head started to pound. Charlie pulled me up off the ground, and said, "Doctor Carlisle, this is my daughter Isabella... But she likes to be called Bella." He shared a glance with me, and then continued. "Anyway, Doctor, she just flew in from Phoenix... her mother lives there. She's come up to visit me for a while… Oh, and Bells, this is Edward. He goes to high school here, but not on the reserve where you'll be going."

I didn't much care, but said, "Hello."

I shook Doctor Carlisle's hand, yet he wore gloves, which was probably a good idea, considering I could see my breath floating around in the air. Charlie invited the doctor back to the diner for coffee, even though he had just drank two bottles of beer, which I was pretty positive wasn't good. Edward stared at me, and the pounding in my head only worsened. It seemed like he was in pain, his eyebrows were furrowed together in confusion, and a strange expression crossed his face. "Hello Bella..." He said, almost grimacing.

"Hi..." I replied back at him, I stared at the ground, slightly poking at it with the tip of my boot, kicking a small pebble around.

"So..." He started, his voice was icy and cold, "You're from Phoenix."

I blinked. "Yes... It's a great place. So much warmer, and its sunny almost everyday. I miss that place already, along with my mom and my step dad. They both are... really good." I should have said great, but I didn't. I wasn't necessarily lying, but my parents were awesome- all three of them. And I loved them; they'd always be first in my life. I decided to stop talking, for I barely knew this Edward Cullen, and our introduction to each other was quite sketchy. Charlie's best was sketchy.

"Oh... why did you move here then?" Edward asked me, as he took a seat on the cement block, his hands dangling between his legs, his hair shifting in the wind.

He asked a lot of questions, didn't he? I'd rather just sit there in silence, and watch the minuscule amount of cars drive by, but no, we must always talk. "My step dad is a minor league baseball player... he travels a lot. My mom wanted to go with him, and I just... well, I wanted to come live with Charlie." I forced out, I tried not to sound as if I had lied, though I was sure that he had noticed the uncanny look that had crossed over my face. It came out so smooth however, I had began to start lying to myself, and I think it was taking a toll upon me.

"So why don't you go to school up on the reserve. I mean, it sounds cool. Lots of people there… maybe even more people there than here… in Forks." I asked him, twirling my hair around.

"I don't know." Edward replied, shaking his head. He did know he didn't want to hurt my feelings. I could read him, like he was a book. It was so simple, now he didn't hide anything from me… but I had the strangest feeling that he would start keeping secrets from me. Well… if we ever became friends. "Guess I just don't like the people there."

"Oh." I replied, and just then, my hands flew up to my forehead, rubbing it in a circle. "Ow." I whispered under my breath. A pain so strong flashed through my head, and a white, opaque light filmed my eyes. I knew that it was a bad headache, but I never got headaches. Must be Forks… I always knew there was something wrong with this place. Now I had substantial proof.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked, sounding convincingly alarmed, though he probably was just putting on a show.

"Yes." I looked at him, from under my lashes. "I'm fine." I rolled my eyes, and stood up. I tried to find Doctor Cullen and Charlie in the diner, but the tinted windows allowed me to see nothing but my own reflection.

Edward almost squinted at me, and tugged at my coat. He pulled me towards the clinic, and I was extremely confused. "Let's go. I'll get you some medicine."

We practically ran over to the Clinic. Edward was very fast, and very strong. He threw the door open, and quickly walked to an office. Apparently trying to hide any evidence of my headache… For of course the Doctors would become concerned, and sooner or later the Chief of Police's daughter would be in the hospital for nothing more than a little headache that had come up so suddenly. I groaned.

"Here." He said, pulling out a green bottle of Excedrin. "Take one of these. The patients say they work." He pulled off his coat, and took mine away too. The office was hot, and I was glad that he could read my mind, begging him to hang the coat up in the open closet that was in the corner of the room.

"I'm sure they do. It's not like you've never had one." I said sarcastically, taking the bottle from him quickly. I twisted the cap off, and almost threw it at the wall. "This is ridiculous. I said I was fine." I glared at him and then swiftly turned around to the sink.

I turned swiftly around to the sink, and then our arms touched. "You're right. I've never had one."

I spun back around and looked at him. His arm was freezing, and even I, wasn't that cold. Now I looked at him in confusion. "Your arm is so cold." I stated, scowling at him. "Are you sick?" Of course when you have a fever of some sort, you are said to be sick. Especially when you are in a room as hot as this. It must've been 70 degrees in there, but I wouldn't complain. Maybe Edward should take care of himself.

His eyes shifted from left to right. He said nothing, and then I took a step closer towards him. "Are. You. Sick?"

His eyes looked alarmed, and he answered me. "Yes... I'm very sick." He coughed, and covered his mouth. He grabbed a tissue from Carlisle's desk and waved it in front of him. He blew his nose, and that told me that he was lying right away. He was a good actor, but again… I could read him like my Biology book.

"You don't look sick." I said, as I took a Dixie cup and filled it with water. I swallowed the pill, and gulped down one more glass of water. Charlie and Carlisle walked in as I did this, and I tossed the Dixie cup into the garbage can. "And if you were, you wouldn't be here… Helping me get better. You'd be in the hospital trying to get better yourself. At least, that's what any smart person would do." I said sarcastically. My temper was rising and I found this whole idea of Excedrin ridiculous.

"Come on Bells, it's time to go." Charlie said, pulling me along.

"It was nice to meet you Bella." Carlisle said, smiling as he shook my hand once more. He patted my back, and handed me my jacket. I roughly put it on, and looked at the both of them.

Charlie escorted me out the door, while Edward stood solemnly still in the doctor's office. He didn't say goodbye, so I put my best foot forward. "Bye Doctor Cullen." I looked at them, and just to be nice added, "And Edward."

Five minutes later we were zooming down the small main road in Forks. We were going to go see Jacob Black, who I would be spending the night with. My dad had a big case to finish up that night, and I was supposed to find out some information about the school on the reserve that I'd be going to. Plus my dad didn't want me to be alone. When he stopped at the light I asked him a question I was almost exceedingly positive he didn't know the answer to it, but I asked him anyway. "The Cullens seem so... strange."

"Bells... I don't know much about them, but I wouldn't say that if I were you. It's not very… kind." Charlie cut in incredulously, as he drove past the light. Shoot, my mom had given the "Make Sure Bella Doesn't Get An Attitude While Up In Forks" talk with my dad.

"I know, but let me finish... Edward and Doctor Carlisle act so strange. I don't know what it is"

"Listen Bells, I don't know anything about them. So we should just stop talking. I just know the Cullen family doesn't get into much trouble."

"Yeah. Right." I regretted the snub instantly, when Charlie abruptly stopped in the middle of a dirt driveway. A red house sat 50 feet away, and the woods were a beautiful background for the scene.

"Here we are..." Charlie said, as he opened the car door of his cop car.

"We are...?" I asked, and then remembered I was going to the Black's house. "Oh yeah... we are."

A pretty familiar looking boy came running out of the house, his long black hair flying around. He ran to me and picked me up. He spun me around and hugged me tightly. "Bella!"

I was confused; yet I was sure this was Jacob and smiled too. "Jacob! Oh my God, you've gotten... huge."

He set me down, and poked me in the arm. "Thanks? It's been forever since you were 10." He said with a sarcastic tone in his voice. "How are you?"

"I'm pretty good, kind of creeped out by some of the people I've just met."

Jacob took a step back. "Oh... so I'm creepy."

I ran at him and punched him in the stomach. It was hard. He had abs. I drooled in my mind. "Yea you're creepy man! You're like 5'10, and you tower over me like I'm a shrimp."

He laughed out loud. "You are a shrimp! And I'm 5'9... I've going to be 6'4 though. I bet you can't wait till then… can you?"

I started walking towards the house, and Jacob carried my luggage. "Actually I probably could wait."

We were best friends again, and even though we hadn't seen each other since I was 10, it seemed as if we had never been apart. I loved Jacob, though not in the way that other people might like him. My head was spinning at the rapid events that had just happened. It was such a strange conversation I had had with Edward Cullen, and I was glad that it had been replaced with a cheerful topic to my liking. However I had a feeling that Jacob's impending "demise" towards me was coming quickly, and that'd we'd be hanging out a lot more than regular friends would. I was excited to know that I would be staying with him, so excited that Charlie had left without even a goodbye.

"Here Bella." Jacob said, as he handed me the laptop. I had a few things to "catch up" on, and researching Edward Cullen on the Internet was one of them. I wasn't planning on stalking him, however I was hoping to find him somewhere on FaceBook. I knew he wasn't famous, so it wasn't like I would find much.

"Thanks." I said, as I turned the slow thing on.

Jacob plopped next to me, and he raised an eyebrow when I typed Edward Cullen on the Google Search box. "Edward Cullen?" He teased me. "Is he your new boyfriend?'

I ignored his smart remark, and answered boldly for I was hoping that Edward would be the last person on my boyfriend list until I figured out why he would lie to me in such a way. It seemed pitiful that I would obsess over such a pathetic topic, but Edward made me curious, and Carlisle did too. "As a matter of fact," I started, pressing enter on the keyboard, "No. Edward isn't my boyfriend, nor do I want him to be. He creeps me out; I met him at the Clinic up in Forks today. You know him?"

Jacob coughed and smiled. "No not really. I've seen him… around."

When the search finally loaded, there was one link, a link that I was not expecting to find. Sadly, it wasn't going to help me find out where Edward lived, or who he was, but it did say one thing that was curious to me. _**Edward Cullen the first survivor of the Spanish Influenza: 1917**_. I looked at Jacob. I was utterly shocked, and he gazed back at me for a long moment before he finally smiled at me and said, "I think we should go eat now…"

I nodded, shutting the laptop, without even closing the window. "Okay."

He pulled me off his bed, and took me by the wrist, leading me away from his room. I sat down in the kitchen, and turned around to get something out of the fridge. But I saw the look on his face, the one that he had been trying to hide. The look that showed love towards me, and the look that everyone had. The expression of knowing something that someone else- who doesn't know about it yet- wants to know. And in this case, Jacob knew something about Edward Cullen, and I would have to figure out what that was.

It wasn't just because Edward bothered me; it was because my feelings for Jacob were strong, even in the couple hours I had been reunited with him. I loved Jacob, and I knew somewhere in him, he loved me too- and if I hit the right button, I would figure out what I would need to know. One day, I'd drive into Forks and confront this, "Edward Cullen" but until then I would remain quiet and not Google him anymore.

Jacob set a plate of spaghetti in front of me. "Bella… let's eat. I've got someone you should meet."


	2. Chapter 2

2

Jacob zoomed down the dirt road, his hands gripped on the steering wheel tightly. His eyes were squinted tightly together, and I looked out the window. It had begun to rain, and a gloomy emotion had entered into my soul. I sighed, and Jacob cleared his throat. "Where are we going?"

He slowly stopped at the muddy red stop sign that was stuck in the ground. A puddle wrapped around the post, and rain pounded hard against the windshield. "We're going to see Sam."

I looked over at him, a puzzled look displayed on my face. "Sam?"

Jacob nodded. "Yes, Sam. He knows a lot about the Cullens and the Quileute Tribes. They tie together in some ways, I don't know much about it." He bit his lip, "Maybe he knows something you wanted to know."

I shook my head slightly, "Something I want to know?"

"Yes… I was there when you Googled Edward Cullen. " He grimaced, and sounded as he was in pain as he said the name. "I'm not stupid; I know you want to know. Besides, Sam can tell you lots of stuff about him in particular. If you really want to know..."

I pursed my lips, and wiped my hand across my brow. "I don't know if I really… want to know."

Jacob coughed, and made a sharp turn. "It's just like a horror story Bella, most people would never believe it, and if they did, they'd take it too seriously. But Bella…"

I looked over at him, waiting for him to continue the sentence he had started. "Yes?"

He parked the car, and put his hand on my arm. It was warm, and the head from his hand pushed through my jacket. "From what I remember, you aren't like most people."

My head started to swim, and I closed my eyes. Jacob never had talked to me this way, but the last time I had seen him we were young. I wasn't exactly flirtatious when I was 10. I opened up the door of the Ford truck, and walked to the front of the house. I knocked on the door, but no one opened it. I crossed my arms, and waited impatiently. By that time, Jacob was near me. I looked up at him, and the romantic and sweet smile on his face seemed to make a warm bubble around us. I smiled, but tried hard not to show it.

Jacob pulled out his phone, and called someone. "Dude… Quil. Open up the door."

After he hung up his phone, an unfamiliar person opened the door. His body was tan, and he had no shirt on. Even in the cold weather he wore shorts. His hair was long, and it was jet black. He gave me an uncanny look. When he saw Jacob walk up from behind me the man said, "What are you here for, man?"

"Sam there?" Jacob said, as he gently whacked the man's stomach.

"Nope. Just left." His eyes moved towards the forest, and I turned to look there. I saw nothing, and my eyes shifted back to Jacob and the guy he was talking to.

"Great…" Jacob said, and then continued. "Mind if we come in, and wait for him?"

"I don't know. Maybe. I don't see why not but… what do you think the woman would say?" He turned to look at where the clattering of pans came from.

"She'd say 'What the hell' and you know that. Now let us in. Besides, Bella's here. They can talk." Jacob demanded, and tried pushing his way into the house. Of course he was joking, or I was hoping he was.  
"Wa-wa-w-wait buddy. Who's the chick?" He asked, and pointed at me vexingly.

"She's not the chick. She's Bella. Like I just said. She's just…"

He paused, and I knew what he wanted to say, but instead continued saying something that was appropriate for me. "My friend from way back… she moved back up here from Phoenix." He wrapped an arm around my waist tightly, and pulled me to him.

"Umm... Hi." I waved an arm at the guy who was staring at me. The more I looked at him, the more I saw a boy than anything else. He looked Jacob's age, and Jacob was a little younger than me. "Actually, I haven't lived here since I was four months old. Can I… erm, we come in? I'm freezing."

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh yeah. Of course, I didn't even notice."

I walked into the house and Jacob and the boy stayed at the door to talk. "Of course you didn't notice," Jacob said, "We don't feel the cold since we're-"

But the chatter of three boys who looked all like Jacob, no shirt on, and long black hair cut off his line. "Who are you?"

Then a woman walked in. She was beautiful, and handed me a cup of something warm. "Boys. Be quiet. Hello, darling."

I was silent, and my head was still spinning from the car ride. "Hi. I'm Bella, and you are?"

She smiled at me, and shook my head. "I'm Emily... You know Sam he's my fiancée. But anyway, it's nice to meet you."

She was beautiful, and had olive toned skin. Her hair was long, and a blackish brown. She had bangs that covered her whole forehead, and her face was flawless like silk She had a brown, Tootsie Roll shirt on and some boot-cut jeans. Emily's voice was sweet and rang like a bell. She took my jacket away, and put it in a closet, which was out in the hallway.

When Emily returned, she sat down. Three boys in the background ate huge pieces of pizza, and I said, "No. I don't really know Sam. Never met him, Jacob just kind of dragged me out of his dad's house and told me we were going to see Sam. I'd really love to know who that is."

"He's a great guy." She said, her eyes lighting up. "But, that's just what I think of him… because I love him so much."

Jacob and the boy would I had met at the door came into the room. He snorted, and Jacob sat down next to me. "That's Quil, that you met at the door. And the one who asked you who you were, he's Embry. And the other two, they're Jared and Paul.

I looked at all of them, my eyes sweeping across the room. It seemed like there were 50 million clones of Jake, or 50 million clones of Embry, Quil, Jared, and Paul. I clenched a fist, as Jacob and my arm touched. His skin was extremely compared to the coolness of mine. I wished I could hug him right there. He was my teddy bear, and I wished he were mine in every other way.

"So Bella… You're here to talk to Sam." Paul said, as he turned his chair around to look at me.

I nodded solemnly, and looked at my feet, tapping my boots together and little speckles of dirt fell onto the wooden floor. "Oh… Jacob probably wants to scare you. No big deal."

Jacob cut in, and sat on the edge of the coach. "No… she wants to learn about Edward Cullen."

Jared jumped out of his seat, and his nostrils flared. "Don't talk about that cold one in this house. I don't want to here anymore of it."

I looked at Jacob, to Jared, to Paul, and to Emily who was cowering in her seat. "Boys… sit down. And don't scare Bella… she's just here to learn a few things. Not to side with anyone."

Paul looked at Emily, and I could tell that he was ready to shower her in a piece of his well-educated mind. "If you want to start the lesson, I'll start it now. With all the information about the Cullen family, and the Quileute Tribes… you could be here all night."

Jacob cut in, and then sunk back down in his chair. "Which we won't be doing. Bella and I have school tomorrow." I saw him eye Quil and Embry who were sitting quietly, picking at their toenails. I grimaced, and then looked back at Paul who was quietly chuckling. I was glad to see that his maturity level was much higher than the one's of his fellow "friends."

"So it all began a very long time ago. Basically the Native American Quileute Legend suggests that the tribe members are descended from… wolves. According the legend, which has been questioned numerous times, there were beings known as Dokibatt, K'wa'iti, the Trickster, the Transformer, and the Changer. These three titled people were supposedly the ones who created the first Quileute from a wolf. Dokibatt, the Changer, looms heavily in the Pacific Northwest coastal…mythology. Of course, this is what people apparently believe. I think it's all bull… but it's what we are. All of us, Jacob, Embry, Quil… even Emily in some ways. Anyway… originally there were six native societies for the fisherman, the elk hunters, the whale hunters, the weather predictors, the medicine men, and the warrior. In the legend… apparently all Quileute 'brothers' as some people call us, are pledged to protect La Push… the reserve you know, from the Cold Ones."

"Cold Ones…" I whispered under my breath, as I looked straight into Paul's eyes. I was intrigued by this legend that I had never learned about in school. Jacob shared a glance with me, and then told Paul to continue until Sam returned.

"I don't know much about the Cold Ones… you would have to ask Jared or Sam about them… Sam probably would be easier to talk to about them. But as I was saying, many years ago the Cold Ones and the Quileute Tribe forged a pact together. The Cullens, are considered to be the Cold Ones, and all of us in this room, are considered to be the original 'brothers.' However… not us directly, rather my great great grandfather was the leader of the Quileute Tribe... or 'brothers' as we know it, at that particular time in history. But… the pact simply stated that the Cold Ones… or the Cullens are forbidden to trespass on our lands. This therefore granted the two groups to live in the same, well vicinity, in a relative place. However…. This treaty hinged upon the necessity that the Cullens never feed upon human blood. Because… well, that is what the Cold Ones apparently do."

"Cold Ones…" I whispered under my breath once more. The previous events during that day flashed through my mind again. The cold touch of Edward, and his mysterious actions that would hide any emotion he had. "Their skin…"

Embry interrupted me, but finished my statement correctly. "Is freezing cold, and rock hard. Colder than the deepest ocean, harder than the strongest marble…"

"And…" Emily said, as she smiled obviously finding something hilarious. "They're skin sparkles."

We all broke into laughter. I looked at all of them, as a hearty giggle broke out of my mouth. I was surprised… but extremely intrigued. Then, someone walked through the door. He was big, buff… and really hot. "Sam…" Emily whispered, as she got up and quickly walked to him. They shared a brief kiss, and then she brought him to the room where we all sat.

"Hello boys…" He said his voice was deep and dark. "Who is this girl?"

Jacob shared a look with me again, urging me to explain who I was. It seemed that I was fearful of Sam, yet I had never met him before. "I'm Bella…. Jacob's friend."

"Yeah." Paul said, "She's the first girl that seems utterly excited to learn about the Quileute Tribe and those nasty Cold Ones."

"Oh…" He started, as he sat down next to Emily, but soon pulling her into his lap. "A vampire girl."

I looked at Embry, Paul, and Jacob with an uncanny look on my face. "Vampire girl?" I asked, twitching, and picking at a hole in my jeans.

"Well… I'm afraid that isn't the point." Sam started, "You probably would like to hear the legend."

I blinked. "Paul told me… a little, but I'm afraid I don't understand the whole line of the Cullens and the Cold Ones. I just don't understand how they tie together."

"How they tie together?" Sam asked his voice was full of surprise. "My dear… the Cullens are the Cold Ones. They are the Pale Faces… They are vampires. And as long as you live here on the reserve…"

"She lives in Forks." Jacob growled.

"As long as you live in Forks, and go to school here on the reserve… I suggest that you stay away from those Cullens. Especially Edward… I know what he can do."

"What did he do?" I asked, shifting my position into something more comfortable. Jacob wrapped an arm around me, and I didn't object.

"He tried to break the treaty. And everything has just gone down hill from that day."

"What'd you think of that?" Jacob asked me, as he backed out of the driveway.

"It was pretty crazy… horrorish, as you said it would be." I answered him drearily, my eyes barely staying open.

Jacob laughed. "I told you."

I nodded, "Yeah you did." I began to notice how fast Jacob was driving and looked at him with a concerned look. "Jake… there isn't a need to rush."

"Bella… I'm not trying to rush. I-"

I clenched the seat, and tried to lean back into the leather. "Jake… slow down. We don't need to get home that badly… I- JAKE!" I screamed, as something hit the windshield.

A face, similar to one I had seen before stared at me straight in the eyes. The eyes of the predator were red, and blood ran down its face. I began to tremble. I blinked, and when I looked at the windshield again, it was gone.

"Jake… did you see that?" I asked, looking over at him trembling in fear. I was almost near tears, and I wanted Renee.

"N-no…" He said, his voice cracked and he obviously was shocked. "Bella… why don't you drive the rest of the way. I'll direct you."

"Okay… But first, Jake can we go see if we did hit someone. I saw the face of him… or her. The eyes were blood red… and it scared the hell out of me."

Jake looked at me, as he opened up his car door to come and switch spots with me. We were far enough away from Emily and Sam's house, that no one had noticed the accident. "Bella, I was looking straight at the windshield. There was no one there…"

"Come on Jake… just let's just… please, see if you hit something. If it was a deer, it'll be fine." I pleaded with him, shifting my whole body towards Jacob, and tugging at his arm. He shut the car door, and leaned all the way over to my side. He pressed his body against mine, and I felt my head hit the passenger side window. My stomach churned, and I couldn't think straight.

"What I would do… to try to make you happy, after just reuniting with you today, Bella." He said I could feel his cool breath blow across my face. It was as sweet as flowers, and as cool as the night-air. He suddenly pulled away, and before I knew it was out of the car checking for something.

I waited inside, and looked out the window. I tried to find a moving object, but saw nothing but Jacob's moving silhouette. I sighed, and I scooted over to the driver's side. He got into the car, and then I drove away.

When we got home it was nearly midnight, and I was extremely tired. I yawned, as I set the car keys down on the counter. My bare feet hit the wooden floor, making a creaking sound every so often. I shuddered from the cold, and looked over at Jacob who had immediately gone to the living room to watch TV on their 12-inch screen.

"G'night Jake… I'm going to bed." I began to walk through the hallways and found Jake's room. I looked around, and turned on the little lamplight he had. I looked at the plastic blow up mattress that was mine, and smiled. I sat down on Jake's bed and began to rethink the things that had happened to me during that day. Everything…

"BELLA!! SHHH!! It's okay!" Jake said, as he held my arms down to his warm comfortable bed. He was lying next to me, but suddenly was on top of me, controlling me from my nightmares and all the screaming I had done.

"Jake…" I whispered, thought it barely came out as anything but a croak. "The Cullens… they aren't really vampires… are they?"

His eyes darkened, and he rolled off of me and sat at the edge of his bed. He looked at the white wall. There was a hole in the plaster and I raised an eyebrow. "Wow…" I whispered, and then waited for Jake to answer my question.

We sat in silence for what it seemed like forever. "The Cullens… yes they are vampires, and also known as the Cold Ones."

I nodded. "What do they do again Jacob?"

He shook his head, and licked his lips. He turned a round to look at me, his smile was peculiar and the shimmer in his eyes almost seemed evil. "They drink human blood…"

My mouth seemed to drop open, and I tried to find the will to close it. I shook my head in awe, and everything began to piece together all in the time of a single day. Jake stood up and turned off the lamplight that I had accidentally left on when I had fallen asleep. He squeezed my hand in the dark, and when my head finally hit the soft fluffy pillow, a knock on the door interrupted the beautiful and perfect silence.


	3. Chapter 3

"Leah… what are you doing here?" Jacob asked the girl, her hair was piled upon her head. It was dark, and shone silvery in the moonlight.

"We need to talk." She said, as she eyed me. Her silvery, black eyes glittered from the stars, and the puddles on the ground shined like the sky.

I was inevitably content on listening to what they had to say, for I was almost positive that it was about the Cold Ones… or the Cullens, as I preferred to call them. Jake looked at me, and then at the boy who stood next to the girl named Leah. "Seth…" Jake started, inviting them in. "This is Bella… and well, Leah… this is Bella to you too." He smiled, and chuckled softly.

"Hi." I said in barely of a whisper. "Nice to meet you… all."

I walked to the living room, and turned on the small lamplight that lit up the room in a white radiance. I sat down on the plastic covered couch, and the crinkly sound of the film echoed through the almost empty house. Jake toughed my shoulder and whispered into my ear, his lips lingering at my lobe. "Leah and I will be talking outside… if Billy wakes up, and calls for me, go to him. Please… have some 'conversation' with Seth. He's a friend of Paul… and Leah likes to be called his girlfriend, though I'm not sure how that is working out." He laughed; his warm breath entered my ear.

I nodded, and patted the side of his neck, as he padded outside into the cool air. He shut the door quietly, and I turned to Seth who was staring at me. My eyes shifted from left to right, and I fidgeted a little. Adjusting my pajama pants, and pulling up my tank top trying to avoid my boobs falling out of my shirt. "So… you're a friend of Jake's?" He asked me, scratching the nape of his neck.

"Yeah. I just 'moved' up here from Phoenix. I'm supposed to be staying with my dad, but as you probably know he's the Chief of Police. Well… I'm the daughter of the Chief of Police." I whispered, nervously, stuttering every now and then.

"Chief Swan…?" He replied to me, assumingly.

"Yeah… but anyway, he has a case to finish up in Seattle. So, since I've known Jacob since he was born… when I would visit every year, my dad and Mr. Black decided that I would stay here. Since, I don't know any girls in town… and I guess my dad trusts me enough." I laughed, and put my hair up into a ponytail.

My eyes shifted from the window, to the door, and then back to Seth. "So, what are they planning?" I asked, as I tried to stretch my hearing to eaves drop on Jake and Leah, so her name apparently was.

"I don't know. They always leave me out. It's kind of annoying, but I got other friends at school. I'll let you meet them tomorrow at school…"

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You know where I go to school?"

He nodded mechanically. "Yes. Jacob talked about you for like 3 months before you came here."

Wow. Jake actually talked about me. No wonder he was in such an incredible mood when my dad drove up his driveway. Though, I knew Jake was like that. He was just a big teddy bear that really just loved _everyone_. He was a ladies man…ha. Ladies Man. "I guess Jake is the type to do that."

He rolled his eyes, and his eyes were shining, even in the dimmed room. "Yeah. It almost got annoying." I frowned, I didn't want to be annoying, and maybe that's why Jared had such a bad reaction to me. "But, you're a great person… so I can tell we'll be good friends."

"Hopefully. I really am lacking friends, at least in Phoenix I was. It was sad, but I guess I'm starting a _whole _new life here in La Push… slash Forks."

He smiled. "Yeah." He stopped talking, and I looked at the black wooden door. He sighed, and under his breath whispered, "I wish I knew everything that they talked about."

"We all do Seth…" I said, just as the two of them walked in.

"Come on Seth." Leah said roughly, a mean and angry look was on her face, while a wide smirk appeared on Jake's lips.

He looked at me, and Seth stood up. "Bye Jacob… and Bella." He smiled at me, and gave us a both slight wave.

Jake walked them to the door, and then turned around to look at me. For some reason, my expression had quickly changed. "What's that smell?" Jake asked as he looked at me.

I shrugged. "I don't smell… anything."

Jake's eyes widened. "Ugh… it's disgusting. Almost sweet, but yet so icy and cold that it couldn't be them…"

"Them?" I asked, I was so confused, and I would love to know what was going on. "Jake… I don't know what is wrong with you… but I hate how you're hiding all this from me. I mean I know we just met back up, but it's like you've been in my life ever since we started to reconnect with technology these days. You never used to hide things when we talked on the phone. URG! I just need to get out."

Jake tried to stop me, but I was too fast. I swiftly ran out the door, and behind the house. I looked around, trying to find something that might've triggered the smell, but no one was there… rather, nothing was there. I looked into the woods, and the trees picked up a fast breeze. My legs were cold, and my arms were starting to get red. I ran to the forest as fast as I could. The cold breeze blowing against the way I ran, making it harder for me to run. Jake didn't follow me like I had expected, and I was glad. I needed time to cry… a time to be alone and to mourn the fact that I wouldn't be able to see my mom until possibly this Christmas. That was still several months away.

"MOM! Why did I leave you…?" I screamed, as I ran into the forest. "Why did you leave me?"

I stopped abruptly, trying to avoid a huge that a boulder that was blocking the way I could run. But I was too late. I fell, my stomach hitting the hard rock, he knee striking the rock, and my elbow jamming against the muddy, yet hard ground. I moaned in pain, and rolled off the rock. I curled into a ball, and looked up to see a pale face. Edward.

"Edward…" I whispered, my hand reaching up to touch his face. But he pulled away, avoiding my touch. He was so graceful, and his breathing was so silent that the only thing I heard was the weeping noises that escaped through my mouth.

"Bella… It's okay. I'm here." He said, and scooped me up, gently setting me on the boulder that had injured my body.

"W-why are you here. You aren't supposed to be here… I thought the Cold Ones weren't allowed to cross the Quileute border."

A confused look crossed his face, and he was so convincing. I thought I could trust the stories, but apparently not. I waited for Edward to contradict the story. "You're right. I'm not allowed to be here… The Quileute Legends are as true as you think they are. But… I had to come here, to talk to you."

"Why?" I was crying now, and I wanted to be wrapped up in a blanket in Jake's room, his light snore escaping from his nose with his mouth slightly a gap. "Why do you always mess with my head?"

That familiar headache had returned in my poor brain, and the wind blew. The wind seemed to take the headache away, and blow it away. Though I knew Edward was just releasing his hold on my mind. Though, I knew he couldn't take anything from me, for he hadn't answered any of the questions in my mind. Sam said, that if Edward were in my mind, or any Cold One that had that power, would answer the many questions floating around in my mind. And now I knew what kind of control I had over my body.

"Look… not all of the Quileute legends are true… like the ones that say that I drink human blood. That isn't true."

"Then… what do you drink?" I asked, my eyes were stinging and I was shivering.

Edward took off his jacket and wrapped it around my freezing body. I was expecting it to be warm, yet it was just as icy cold as the air. For that matter, it was colder than the air. "Thanks." I mumbled.

"I drink animal blood… I don't want to hurt people, I don't want to take their should away from them."

"You mean… you don't want to kill them?" I asked, though that question seemed almost irrelevant to the conversation.

"I don't want to change them… or kill them." He said, as he took a seat next to me. The wind blew around him, and a strange whistling sound wrapped around us.

"Change?" I asked, extremely confused. Maybe… my question wasn't that irrelevant.

"Take their soul away… forever."

My eyes slowly widened. He didn't have fangs like any other vampire story I had ever heard of. But this isn't a story… this was reality. But something deep inside me made me wonder, whether I was dreaming, or if I was really outside. I sucked my breath in, and leaned into him. "I'm afraid… That I don't completely understand."

He leaned forward, his cheek brushing against my ear. "You don't need to understand Bella. All you need to understand is that I am watching you. Not in a bad way, but in an extremely protective way. You never are alone."

I blinked, I was shocked, and I understood nothing. I was confused, and mostly, I was tired. I closed my eyes just for a moment, and reached my hand up to lightly touch his face with my hand. I felt around for his face, but nothing was there. I opened my eyes, to see what had happened. I saw nothing, and more importantly— I saw no one. I was alone in the clearing. Was it a dream? No… It couldn't have been. It really did happen. I wanted to tell someone, but I knew that I couldn't.

"Hello?" I called, my voice was weak, and I was shivering.

I heard someone's footstep close to me, and a branch snapped, falling to the ground. I jumped, but did not scream. I looked back towards Jacob's house, and sighed when I saw all the flights turn off. He had given up on me, and I felt like I should give up on him. Life was not as easy as I wanted it to be, at least here in La Push. Even though it was my first day… I felt as if I had lived here for almost my whole life now. My life in Phoenix seemed distant, and all my feelings seemed to be crashing together.

I look around once more, and heard the wind rush. There he was. The tall beautiful body of Edward Cullen stood right in front of me. "I'm sorry…" He looked down at my feet. "I am sorry that we were so rudely interrupted."

My breath caught again, and I was confused. My head was spinning, and my brain was pounding. I felt like I was the only one in the world, yet I felt that more eyes than just Edward's were on me. "Are we alone?" I asked, touching Edward's chest with my shaking left hand.

He brought his hand up into my hair, and tousled it gently. "Yes. Of course we are why wouldn't we be alone?"

I shook my head. And then suddenly, it felt like my brain had snapped. The headache was suddenly gone, and the peering eyes didn't seem to be so strong as they glared at me. We were alone… "Nothing. I must be imagining things."

For a moment, it appeared as if Edward's eyes had shifted to a rustle in the bush. I looked over and saw two red glowing circles staring at me. And then, they were gone. The wind blew once more, and when I looked out back out of the forest, I heard the light footsteps of someone running. It was almost impossible to hear, but my ears had bent far enough to listen to every single detail of sound that surrounded me.

Edward gently tugged at my arm, pulling me into his arms. Even though his skin was freezing, I felt warm in his arms. Our bodies seemed to mold together perfectly, like we were puzzle pieces. It felt… Like we were destined to be. But I did not know this mysterious boy, and I needed to find out who he was. He used his index finger to tip my chin up, my eyes finally looking straight at him. Our gaze was locked together. I tried to pull my eyes away, but I couldn't.

Before I understood anything, his lips were brushing against mine. I was confused, and I wanted to cry. I looked at him my eyes were watering. And then I felt a sense of love for Edward… This love felt like it could not be controlled. I was weak. And once again, I felt as if I was being watched. Even with these eerie feelings of others around me, I jumped into his arms, my legs wrapping tightly around his waist, and my face rushing into his. Our lips almost slamming into each other, and even when our mouths were slightly open, and I wished that we would go further, he would move his lips away. And I knew we were right.

I felt awful… Like a whore, an awful undecided whore. I knew I was not like this. I felt controlled, my emotions had been triggered, and now I was angry with Jacob. I hated him, but I wanted to love him. I looked at Edward, and then back at the lonely house. His hand was tightly holding my wrist, but I yanked away. I ran… I ran as hard as I could to Jake. I needed him. Edward was a mistake, and a mystery. I did not like surprises, or riddles, or mysteries. I needed to be with the one person who I felt comfortable with. That was Jake.

I was still so confused. My emotions changing so quickly, and my actions were so rude. What was happening to me? I burst through the front door, and when I reached the hallway of where Jake slept, I was stopped immediately. I was stopped by some kind of force field.

My mind began to pound, and I feel straight to the ground, my head hit the floor with a bash, and before I knew what had happened, strange cold arms had wrapped around me, and set me down on a more comfortable object. My eyes slowly began to close, and just as they were about to close completely; I caught a glimpse of Edward's face.

The sleep I had gotten was terrible. It was incomplete, and I was extremely sore from sleeping in a cramped up chair. I searched for my cell phone quietly as I rummaged through my bags in Jake's room. It was six in the morning, and Jake was still sleeping. I was probably still sleeping, but somehow I was awake. I called my dad, and asked if he would take me to school. He did it willingly, though I knew he did not want to take me to La Push's schools. I had disobeyed him, and I had let down Jake.

I looked through the Black's kitchen, finding only oatmeal. That wasn't something that I was looking for to satisfy my hunger, but I gulped it down. I turned around to find Jake glaring at me. His eyes were red, and his nose was pink. His cheeks were flushed, and he appeared as if he was crying.

"What is wrong with you?" I asked, my voice sounded harsher than I wanted it to.

"I thought you were dead…" He said, and then paused before continuing. "I had the worst dream."

I nodded. "Sure you did." I got up, and walked to the window, looking for my dad's police cab.

"Where are you going?" He asked, as he took a step towards me.

"I am going to school. I will see you later." I walked through the doorframe of the front room.

Jake's strong hand, wrapped around my wrist once more. It was the same wrist that Edward had held on to. "Please don't go… Without me."

I shook my head. "You have your secrets, and I have mine. I won't be left out on this mysterious behavior."

"IT'S NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW!" He yelled at me, shaking my arm violently.

It hurt.

"I'M SORRY JAKE! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE! JUST GO AWAY! I'M SORRY!" And with that, I was running out the door, running down the walkway, and onto the muddy driveway. I splashed water all around, and I ran until I couldn't run anymore. That wasn't very far. My dad had just stopped at the edge of the Black's property. I flung open the door, and sat down in the seat. "Drive Dad… Just drive."

Charlie didn't answer any questions… And I was glad he didn't. I had enough problems of my own, and I would have to figure those problems out…. Later.


	4. Chapter 4

4

The school was loud, and I was irrevocably positive that these next few months would be awful without Jacob. Of course, I was mad at him, which was specifically why he wasn't at my side at the very moment, but deep down inside of me I had forgiven him. I knew that all these things that had happened in the course of one day, was just the beginning drama in La Push, and that it was only going to get worse as I continued my time living with Charlie, who had so kindly dropped me off at school.

I walked around the halls extremely confused. Everyone was starring at me; even the façade of the red and black lockers seemed to peer into my scared and nervous eyes. As I searched for locker number 356, a few senior boys said hi to me… patting my shoulder as they came and went. When I finally found my locker, I fumbled with the combination lock until it finally flung open. It was perfectly empty, not one thing out of place. And it seemed to remind me of my room; in the cluttered mess at Renee's house there was "Bella's Room" the cleanest one in the house. I groaned as I remembered her. I wanted to call her, but of course, she was on the road, probably at one of Phil's training sessions, which obviously meant, she wouldn't be able to hear the ring of her phone. And any one, who knew my mother, would come to assume that she didn't know how to make the phone vibrate.

I rolled my eyes, and smiled as I slammed the locker door shut. I jumped when I saw Jake's familiar face glaring at me, a slightly mad look on his face but yet the same serene look that he couldn't stop from appearing. "What is wrong with you Bella?" He asked, as I began to walk away.

From my peripheral I saw him stand there, his arms wide open, a confused look on his face. If I was any closer to him, I would've seem the more than likely pleading look of his puppy dog eyes. He appeared at my side, and grabbed my arm tightly. Holding me in place, my foot not being able to move.

"I wake up and you're gone… and then Billy tells me he doesn't even have a clue where the hell you are!" His breath was heavy, and he looked concerned. "You don't know how long I've been looking for you."

His words were confusing… and the way he said them just made them more impenetrable to comprehend. I wish they meant that he had been sitting around on this earth forever… waiting for his true love to be born. But I knew that he had been driving all over La Push searching for a girl no one knew, with the name of Isabella Marie Swan. I raised an eyebrow, and ripped my arm out of his grasp. I walked away, clenching my books in my arms, and truly having no idea where I was going.

I looked to my left, to my right, and then quickly shot my head back to the left. A tall silhouette stood near the end of the lockers, his foot was up against the wall and his arms were crossed over his chest. Even in the loud hallways, I could hear his intense breathing. The sound ran a shudder through my mind, and I could smell the unpleasant odor of mothballs. I blinked at least ten times, an awful look showed across my face. I continued my walk to class, and I finally found my classroom and saw that the whole room was filled with unfamiliar people.

"Come on, Bella." He said, as he pulled me to the lunchroom. "You have to be… a little hungry."

"No… Seth, I'm actually fine." The word fine is overused and I should've said that I was bright and lustrous, though that was one of the worst lies I had told that day.

"That's bull Bella." He countered, and dragged me to the lunch line where they were serving burgers and fries. "At least get… some fries."

I shook my head, and the greasy smell was so mouthwatering that my stomach growled. Seth grasped both of my arms. "Oh my God… you heard that! You had to have heard that!"

I nodded. "Yeah. I heard that." I mumbled, and roughly took a tray of the stack.

"See… you are hungry! Don't try and be like all those super models that eat nothing and rip out their organs and their rib cages to be skinny. You're so beautiful…"

And I cut him off. First of all, super models were just skinny, though I did hear that they took out their rib cages just to "look" skinnier. And it sure did work, but I doubt that was good for their…bodily functions. "Seth… you talk a lot." I laughed, and took a handful of fries, some celery sticks, and a Kapri Sun from the metal lunch buffet.

He frowned at me, as he piled mountains of food on his tray. "You just don't need to be so self-conscience about your appearance."

"I'm not self-conscience about my appearance," I said, and for that matter I did only weigh one hundred and ten pounds. "I'm self-conscience about what people will think of me, when they see the new girl hanging out with the boy chatterbox of the school."

"Bella… that really sounds gay?" He said, his look was incredulous, and I couldn't help but smile as I sat down.

"Well… the truth hurts buddy." I said, as I took a bite of my celery, and when he opened his mouth to throw an insult back at me, he instantly closed it when Jacob walked to our table and practically threw himself at the seat. Then I realized why Seth was so confused. It wasn't me; it was Jacob, and all his strange PMS like actions.

"Hi guys…" Jake said, and then began to eat silently just like the rest of us.

Seth looked at Jacob, and tapped his arm. "Hey man, what's wrong with you?"

Jacob shrugged, and continued to stab his fork at his green beans. "I don't know."

I blinked, and looked from the two boys. They seemed to have something going on between their eyes, and I shook my head. "That's so weird…" I whispered, as I bit into a hot, crispy fry. "So Seth… what are your plans for tonight?"

He shook his head. "Nothing really, probably get home with Leah… work on my homework, get on the compu…"

I raised a brow, and he stopped talking when he saw my incredulous look. I'm sure that Seth was not the kind of person to do anything "naughty" on the computer, but I didn't need to know his schedule for the rest of the night, though I was sure that Seth had been invited to the cliff diving, in the time that I wasn't hanging out with the two of them. But I would still ask even to annoy Jacob and break the rather pointless promise not to tell Seth about their evening event. "Umm… all I wanted to know, was if you were going cliff diving with the boys tonight… Jacob's going, aren't you?"

I looked at Jake, who had his head lifted up, and his eyes bore into mine with a serious look. "Bella…" He growled. "What is wrong with you?" A fierce sound rippled through his chest, and he leaped at me over the table. I fell backwards out of my chair, and the lunch table fell on my leg. I didn't scream in horror, but I did cry for help when Jacob was on top of me, and Seth's strong hands were wrapped around Jake's muscles as tight as tourniquets I was sure.

"Jake! Dude! What the hell is wrong with you, man?" Seth said, as he yanked Jake off of me. "You need to chill."

"YOU PROMISED NOT TO TELL HIM WHAT WE WERE DOING!" He yelled at me, his voice was loud, and everyone was staring. "YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULDN'T! HOW CAN I TRUST YOU! THAT WAS A SERIOUS THING!"

I looked at Jacob, my lip was trembling, but I refused the tears to fall over my eyes. "Sorry Jacob… but I don't think you should leave members out of the pack."

I pushed the table off my legs, and stood up. I walked out of the lunchroom, and got into the rusty Lincoln that sat in second spot, in the third row of the parking lot. I shoved the key into the ignition, and revved up the rusty piece of crap. I stomped on the gas pedal, and sped away, not taking time to look back. I was about to turn right, when I saw a huge wolf run in front of my car, and stand in the middle of the road. I stopped abruptly, and when I yanked the door handle, and kicked the door out of my way, the wolf stared at me, and then ran away.

"Pointless mutt." I grumbled, and threw myself back into the car. By this time, Jacob was behind me, and I looked at him through the rear view mirror.

His face was filled with agony and sorrow, and I knew he was sorry for what he had done to me. My phone rang, and I picked it up roughly, looking at the screen to see the familiar number of Jacob's cell. But when I looked back, to see if Jacob had his phone up to his ear, I was wrong, and he was no longer there. I sighed, and picked up the phone anyway, expecting that it was probably Charlie calling from work or something. "Hello."

"Hello Bella." The familiar voice said through the speaker. "I saw what happened at school, are you alright?"

"Who the hell is this… and how did you get this number?" I stated, almost screaming, a nervous look on my face, so nervous that I pulled off the road to talk to this man.

"This is Edward Cullen." He said I could picture his face in my mind… that gorgeous face, with bronze eyes, and the most tempting marble lips.

"Where did you get this number?" I asked again, more urging this time.

"I got it from you… don't you remember? Last night… when we met in the forest?" I tried to reencounter what had happened the night before, but I was so mad and angry that I didn't care to remember anything.

I lied, figuring that he would continue. "Yes. I remember… sorry, I yelled at you. I'm in an extremely bad mood and-"

He cut me off. "Do you mind if I drop by at your house?"

I blinked, and got comfortable in my seat. "Charlie's house… Edward. And yes… I guess you can come over. But why?"

Then I heard the phone click. Edward was so mysterious, after leaving me in the dark forest last night, and then suddenly reappearing only 5 minutes later. Calling my emergency phone, and then hang up on me. Whatever he wanted, I was extremely eager to figure out what it was.

I drove home quickly, and found an unfamiliar silver Volvo parked in front of the house. "That must be Edward's." I said, as I got out of my disgustingly dirty car, slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

I dashed to the porch, for it had started to rain again. I opened the front door, with the house key that hung around my neck. I stumbled in, and called, "Hello? Anyone home?"

"Bella…" He said… his voice was coming from right behind me. "Turn around."

I turned around to see Jacob. "That was eerie…" I said a smirk appeared on his face.

"I'm really sorry about what I did to you at school… I'll probably get shot down tomorrow at school." His voice wasn't convincing and I didn't take him seriously.

"It's fine. I'll probably, just have some bruises tomorrow. It doesn't matter. Will you leave now?"

He nodded, and left. I never heard the engine drive away; apparently he planned to sit in his truck all night. Excellent.

I went back to looking if anyone was home and apparently there wasn't. I walked around the unfamiliar building, not remembering anything from my previous encounter here when I was 10 years old. I looked at the stairs, and then saw muddy footprints leading up into the room that I had used when I was a little baby. I dashed upstairs, and ran into my room, my crib still near the window, yet a desk, and a larger bed sat in the room. I dropped the bag on the floor, and looked around. I jumped, when I saw Edward casually leaning against my closet door. I screamed. "Oh my God!" I said, more loudly than I should. "You scared me."

Jacob was in my room, before Edward could even answer, Jake was in front of me, and was glaring at the Cold One. "What did you do?" He growled, his skin heating up like the fastest furnace in the world.

"Dude Jake." I started, trying to push him away, yet I failed. "I don't know what is wrong with you, but I told you to get out. I hope that you listen to my wishes if we ever want to be _true _friends." I emphasized the word true… not just because I loved Jacob like… a boyfriend, but because I loved him as a brother too. I never wanted to loose him, and it seemed like I was. The hours full oh phone calls we had shared when he got his first cell phone two years ago. The hundreds of text messages that we sent, all of which that were filled with lovey dovey notes. The millions of emails, hundreds of Christmas packages, but my beautiful thoughts were cut off my Jake's voice.

"Fine…" He grumbled. "This isn't how a friendship works. But I'll be watching you Cullen."

"Good luck with that." Edward said to Jacob, for the first time. "You'll never be able to get past the border. We live miles out, and I can see straight into your mind. Don't even count on it."

"There are ways." He said, as he looked at me. "I'm sure there is some connection."

Why did they always talk in code? I was so tired of not knowing what was going on. "No. There is no connection. She hides it well."

"Hides what?" I asked, standing in between the two of them.

"Nothing." Jake said, and walked out of the room. He stormed down stairs, and I heard the creaky front door open. Before he left he yelled up to me. "It doesn't matter! THINGS JUST DON'T MATTER ANYMORE!"

Whatever that was I was extremely scared for Jacob. I loved him, and I wanted him to be safe. But the more I thought about it, the more I began to believe that the Quileute legends were true. "That was scary…" I said, trying to find my desk chair, but I was so light headed that I could barely see.

He shrugged. "I scare a lot of people. You haven't seen the worst of it… or the worst of what it was." He eyed the bed, and looked at me. "Mind if I sit down… I have some homework, we could work on together." Of course, everyone always _quickly_ changed the subject while talking to me. It didn't seem fair, yet it happened constantly. That would be another thing that I would have to get used to while living in Forks… slash, La Push.

Lovely… more work.

I slowly sat down at my desk, and zipped open my book bag. "What is this all about… and tell me why are you here?"

The answer seemed obvious, though I was too cowardly to say it. "Well isn't the answer palpable? I'm here because I want to do homework with you, La Push and Forks share the same teachers you know… they do a lot of driving, and besides I want to be your friend Bella… though we might not be good for each other."

I was confused… extremely confused. He talked in riddles, like I was some kind of riddle solver, which I obviously wasn't. "What? Can't you talk English?"

He nodded. "I can… but I like to confuse you, it makes you think harder."

I rolled my eyes, and pulled out my algebra book. I opened it, and quickly sharpened a pencil, ignoring his rather rude comment. I didn't know what was so special about Forks and La Push, and why I seemed to make friends better here, than in Phoenix. There must've been a good explanation that I would hopefully find out in the near future. I was totally oblivious to what was going on around me, that when I turned my head to copy the next algebra problem down, I saw Edward's gorgeous face instead.

"Would you like to do something else?" He asked, his cool breath blowing across my face. My cheeks were on fire in an instant, and I bit my lip hard.

"I knew you weren't here to do homework. Friends maybe, homework, of course not." My head was spinning around. If the poor spherical shape wasn't securely attached to my head, it probably would be rolling around on the floor, and Edward would be very dissapointed that this was all his doing.

"Come on… yes or a no." He told me again, a more pleading side to his voice this time.

"I have homework to do… I think I should just stay at home. Besides Charlie will be here soon and…"

"Bella. I'll make sure you're back on time… Charlie won't be back until late tonight." He said, with a matter-of-fact tone, and it almost seemed that he actually had something good and worthwhile to say to me this time.

I blinked, and pulled away from his face, trying to regain my personal bubble once more. "Just… let's wait until Charlie gets home… I promise, it's my first night here. He'll be home early. I swear."

He looked at me, and then at the white cell phone that stuck out of the pocket in my skinny jeans. "Why not just call him?"

I rolled my eyes, and yanked the forsaken thing out of my pocket. "I don't know what the rush is… but fine."

I dialed Charlie's number, and when Edward began to talk… it all went by faster than I could comprehend. Edward talked fast, and I knew Charlie was probably being forced by some Kryptonite like powers of Edward's, that probably forced my dad into something that we both didn't want to do. But when the conversation slowly died down, a smile started to form on Edward's face. What a relief. Never mind. I wish I could take that back.

"Thank you Chief Swan." Edward nodded, as he talked to my dad on the phone. "Oh yes… I'll get her home safely. I promise."

He ended the call and looked at me. "So… what's the plan?" I asked, slouching in the comfortable, rolling, desk chair.

He handed the technological piece of crap to me and answered my question. "We're on until 11:00 tonight. By the way… I won't make you late. But someone else might…"


	5. Chapter 5

5

It was raining when I got home, not only was it raining, but also it was cold and windy. Edward dropped me off at the front of my driveway. I smiled at him. "Thanks Edward… For everything." I grabbed my purse that was sitting on the floor, against my feet and opened the car door to get out.

My cold, clammy hands wrapped their fingers around the silver door handle. I hoisted myself up to stand in the muddy puddle of water. The moment my feet were firmly planted on the ground, I was showered in kisses from the beautiful, yet disgusting droplets of rain that fell like a midnight mist upon my lips.

I smiled, even though I hated this dreary weather. I shut the door, and took a step towards the unfamiliar house that I hadn't lived in quite some time. But… I was not fast enough. Edward was in front of me, holding my hips firmly, pressing his hard body against mine. It was only a few moments before my fragile back touched the smooth, wet surface of his car. His strong hands snaked up my body, feeling everywhere… The touch was sensation— And though I knew it was wrong, and how much I wanted him to let go, I couldn't tell this perfect angel from anywhere but heaven to let go of me. His strong arms left my body, and went on either side of me. He held his body away from mine; our stomach's barely touching. I was trapped, but my feelings for him seemed to go on and off. It was the worst thing from strange.

One second, we would be friends, or enemies; and another we would be all over each other acting as if we had known each other since the beginning of time. It seemed that my feelings changed with Edward, and even though I always felt more than safe with him, I always felt those eyes staring at me. Those eyes, they felt so familiar, so close. And all these feelings seemed to blend together and those familiar, close eyes became distant and mysterious.

My head was pounding, and my heart skipped a beat every time I felt Edward's breath blowing across my face. Love was a beautiful thing… Yet it was the worst kind of evil. Love was the poisonous worm inside the fleshy red apple. Love was the seed in Clementine that was supposed to be perfect. It was the unbearable smoke to the fire, the intoxicating hazardous liquid in the battery.

I heard footsteps coming, but when I tried to pull away, my feelings just grew deeper, and he pushed me up onto the top of the hood of his car. I sat there, my legs apart, one hand nearly balancing my body on the bone of my arm, and my other pulling Edward into me. Rain continued to pound against us, and his cold skin did not make me warmer.

I shivered, and then felt Edward being pulled away. His hands were digging into my wrists, and finally, after a final tug, his fingers ripped away, my heart began to pound, my breath was back to normal. My eyes flashed open, and I saw another pale face. One that was not familiar to me, and I was confused. I was lost. I was the seed in this, sweet yet forbidden fruit. "Edward! Control yourself, brother."

My lips were trembling as water droplets rolled down them. "Who…who are you? And what do… do you want?"

Edward ripped away from the blonde curly haired boy. Well he wasn't a boy, but he wasn't a man. He looked my age… Our age. "That is my brother." Edward groaned, rubbing his nose, staring straight up in the sky, looking as if he wanted to be drenched.

"Oh." I replied, almost dissapointed. I looked over at Edward's brother and forced a smile. "Hi."

"Hello." His water lines of his eyes were red, and his mouth was pressed into a straight line. His muscles were tensed, and he was clenching his fists. "I'm Jasper…"

I raised an eyebrow, and slid off the car. "Hi… And I'm sorry for, that scene you just saw." I looked at Edward, and then to Jasper, and then to the rustle in the bushes.

I heard a low growl, and Edward's eyes flashed with anger. "Let's go." He said, walking towards the driver's side of the car. Jasper followed, and hopped into the Black Mercedes that was Dr. Carlisle's. I had seen it the very first day in Forks. I didn't understand their emotions, they were so sudden and mine had started to change as well. They never said goodbye, they just got up and left. I picked up my purse that was sitting in the mud, and walked up my driveway.

I fumbled for the key that Charlie had given to me, trying to open up the front door. My dad still wasn't home from work— I wondered if he was okay. It was late, 11:30, and Charlie had told me that he would be home by around 7:00 every night. But things change, and I guess the work schedule had.

"Bella!" A familiar voice shouted. "Bella! Wait up!"

I didn't turn around, but I heard the sloshing of running feet come up, following me, across the driveway, and then the pounding sound of shoes clonking against the wooden steps.

"What do you want?" I growled, still refusing my body to turn around, the key was still in the lock, and hadn't been twisted.

"Please… Just forgive me." His pleaded, his voice was cracking. I heard his loud gulp, and he coughed. "Please. I'm sorry. If you just forgive me, and let me in… I will tell you everything!"

I shook my head, and I was glad that it was raining. Tears fell down my face, but no one would know that I was crying. I never knew that friendship couldn't be made and broken so easily. I never understand how I could ever be mad at Jake. We talked each night for at least an hour, when I was in Phoenix, and friendship over the phone seemed to be better than reality. Reality was almost a lie. I never expected to meet anyone like Edward, and have feelings for him so quickly. I never expected to know Jake's true side— keeping a secret that should be mine. I remembered that very night, when we promised that we would never hide anything from each other. We trusted each other.

* * *

"I promised my friend Quill that I wouldn't tell you about this, but I think you should know." Jacob said to me, I heard glass shatter, and he swore under his breath.

I couldn't help but smile, and I sat down on my bed, doodling on my math homework that I had not started. "What's that Jake?"

He sighed deeply, and I could picture his face— even though I hadn't seen him… In what felt like, forever. "Well, Quill thinks you're really hot… And…"

I cut him off, my eyes widened to their fullest size. My stomach dropped to my stomach. As normal, guys only saw girls as objects. My mom, Renee, well; she liked to call us girls. Even though— she knew very well that Phil would never treat her like a trophy, he had plenty of those already… But she wasn't so sure about me. "Wow… Well isn't that great. I don't even know this… Dude, and now I have become a movie star. Web cams are supposed to private, not broadcasted to people I have never met Jake."

"I'm sorry Bella…" The phone became very static like, and I couldn't understand what he had said.

"What?" I questioned. I wanted to here what kind of response he was going to give me, probably something sympathetic and sweet. I smiled.

"You heard me…" His voice trailed off, and I heard more breaking of glass.

I raised a brow, and I opened my mouth to ask where the noise was coming from— but Jake had better mouth reflexes, and said something first. "I said… I'm sorry. I should've thought before…"

"NO! No… Don't apologize— It's fine… Really." I had jumped off my bed as if he was standing right there, on his knees… Begging for forgiveness.

* * *

The burning light flowed into my eyes as they flashed open. Was it the sun? Or was it the bright light that hung over me at the dentist? I didn't know where I was, but I was hoping that I was in my warm and comfortable bed. But when my pupils finally adjusted to the luminosity, I knew I was not in my room. I was in a white expanse of machines and shower curtains. I blinked a few times to see if I was hallucinating, and I felt my hand around to find my light stand, but I only found a warm hand. My lips cracked when I opened them to ask why I was where I was. My voice was rough, and my head was pounding from being awake for just a few moments.

Jacob's soothing voice answered me, whispering into my ear. "You slipped and fell when we were arguing out on your front porch."

I rubbed my forehead, and I yelped when I felt the raw cut that hadn't been bandaged up. "How awful do I look?"

He smiled at me, and pressed his lips to my ear where he spoke, "You look pretty bruised up, but on the inside you are as healthy as a horse." His eyes shifted to the machines that displayed my bodily information on the touch screen.

"Oh thank God," I whispered as a sticky bandage with an awkward sterile smell was pressed to the raw cut on my forehead.

As someone started to raise my hospital bed a doctor walked in, and looked at his clipboard. "Well… Ms. Bella, it turns out that you can go home tonight, rather… This morning, or you can spend the rest of the 'evening' here and go home tomorrow. It's your decision… Your father is relieved that no internal damage occurred. You had a hard fall, and I suggest that you don't do anything reckless for awhile."

I nodded. "I'd like to go home today, I need my bed." I laughed, and hopped off the strange and uncomfortable cot. I stumbled on the slippery floor that had just been mopped by the janitor. "Hah… I'm such a klutz."

I regained my balance, and Jacob linked his arm through mine and helped me out of the room. It took us more than a few minutes to get checked out, considering Charlie went home to go catch some sleep and we needed his adult permission to allow me to go home, but considering it was the middle of the night and I only had one deep cut and a few bruises on me they allowed me to go home.

"So… Who's driving me home? We aren't on the reserve, are we?" I asked, looking around as we exited the hospital. Jake couldn't drive regularly in Forks— but I knew he didn't follow many rules. And, since my dad was the Chief of Police in Forks, he let Jake off of a lot of things when he drove me home, or dropped Mr. Black off at our house to watch sports on the flat screen. Oh, the privileges of having a handicapped father— at least one person won.

"You are." He replied to me, "I can't take you home… I have places to be— and I can't drive here anyway. But, before I go… I have to tell you, Edward dropped by about an hour ago and took a look at you. He wanted how you were doing, but it was made obvious that you were unconscious. But you are alright now, aren't you?"

I nodded mechanically. "Yeah… I'm fine. And by the way, I hope we're good now… I forgave you in my dream, actually; I was hoping it wasn't a dream."

Jake smiled, and as I got into the rusty Lincoln that Seth had let me borrow; he mouthed, "It wasn't."

* * *

It'd been a week since I had seen Edward. It'd been a week, since I saw Jacob and his pleading eyes. It'd been a week since I have talked to anyone but the 1900s boy. It'd been a week since my last meal, my last meal with Edward. It was two days since I got all my courage and asked Edward Cullen to the Sadie Hawkins dance at Forks High School. It seems strange that I will be going to his dance, but again, I always forget. It is not right for him to come onto the reserve. It has been two days since Edward agreed to go with me… A knock on the front door interrupted my pleasant thoughts. I frowned, and went to go see what kind of intruder would tear the silence. I would love the beauty of silence to be inevitable, yet it is uncertain.

I opened the front door. I blinked when I saw the dark face, and the dark eyes. The dark hair, the dark clothing, the dark smirk on his face. The familiar face, and his familiar dark eyes bore into mine. His familiar dark hair smelled of rain, and his familiar dark clothing smelled like his home. The familiar dark smirk on his face reminded me of our good times that lasted of only one day. "Jacob…" I whispered.

"I want to get this over with… As quietly, and as unembarassingly as possible."

I raised an eyebrow, and smiled. "'Unembarassingly… Funny."

He gave me an annoyed look. "Whatever it is…" I nodded for him to continue, and he did. His voice flew past me, it seemed to go through the doorframe and bounce off of every wall… But it never comprehended with my brain.

"What?" I asked confusingly, as I let Jacob in. I shivered from the cold damp weather. I am only more than thankful that it was not raining.

"I know this seems so, untraditional, but… I was just wondering i yo want t go wit e to the Sad Haw dance."

I shook my head, still utterly confused. I knew I did not play my music to the point where I couldn't understand anything someone said. "Dude… Jacob, just talk a little slower. And let me comprehend what you are trying to say. Honestly… I won't kill you."

He rolled his eyes. "Bella… I know this seems so, untraditional, but… I was just wondering if you wanted," He gulped, and looked away, "to go with me to the Sadie Hawkins dance."

My heart sunk past my stomach, it seemed to bulge out of my body. I died inside. "Jacob… I can't."

He blinked, and looked back at me. His dark eyes became cold, and sad…. Begging. "What?"

"I can't Jake… I can't go with you." I tried to explain, but I only knew I was making things worse. "I am going. But… Oh God. I can't say this."

His face was excruciating, in the worst pain possible. And no matter how soft my gaze at him was, his eyes never met mine and the lines on his face never vanished. "Just tell me Bella. I can take anything you have to say. I swear I can."

"Oh…" I whined, my eyes bubbling over with tears, my body still standing in an awkward position, my hand wanting to read out and touch his face. "I am going with someone else. It just seemed traditional, for me to…"

He cut me off, and went off to the door. "I see."

I tried to explain what was going on with Edward, but he already knew. His loud, warm voice interrupted my thoughts. "You don't need to explain to me your whole love story with Edward Cullen and such… It doesn't matter."

I sighed deeply, and followed him to the door. "Jake… Please, I don't… I wasn't… Oh, just let me explain. Just this once… You are my best friend. Please. You have to understand. I love you."

"No! I won't let you. You don't know what kind of pain I went through to get here, how long it took for me to think about what I was going to say when I imagined you saying yes. You can't possibly fathom the feelings I have for you. I don't see us as just friends Bella, I want to be close to you. I want to be able hold you, just like Edward gets you. Your small, delicate body belongs in strong and warm arms, not cold and dead limbs."

I sighed deeply, my head hanging down, searching for the ground to stare at. I couldn't look at my best friend begging to me once again. I couldn't let him say that he loved me that way, and that he wanted to be close to me. I didn't know if it put our friendship in ruins or not. Oh, how I wished that it wouldn't. I didn't say anything, and I didn't bother to look up when Jacob walked out of my house into the rain.


End file.
